MIAMI, Fla. (Dec. 1) – The Florida A&M DRS Baby Rattler football team won its’ first state football championship in nearly 30 years Friday, rallying in the final period to edge Victory Christian, 14-10 in the class B title game here at Pro Player Stadium.

Running back Richard Watson gave the Baby Rattlers (10-4) the lead for good with 6:42 left in the game, on a 14-yard touchdown run. It was their first lead of the game, as they trailed 10-7 coming into the final quarter Friday.

That scoring play was set up when Johnathan Ferrell intercepted a VCHS pass, returning it 34 yards to put FAMU DRS in scoring position. Watson scored six plays later to put FAMU ahead for the first time all day.

The game started on a bad note for the Baby Rattlers as Victory Christian’s Art Evans took a sweep play 70 yards on their first play from scrimmage. They would go on to add a field goal in the second quarter to take a 10-0 lead in at halftime over the Baby Rattlers.

The halftime adjustments paid off for the Baby Rattlers as they reconfigured the offense and came up with a more aggressive defensive scheme.

FAMU DRS defensive end Jeremy Thompson caused a fumble, scooped it up and ran it in for the Baby Rattlers’ first score, which came in the third quarter.

The defense played solid from there and the Baby Rattlers rode the power running of Watson offensively, as they attempted just three passes the whole game. They pounded Watson up the middle for hard yardage that controlled the game.

The game-winning tally came on fourth and 14 from the Victory Christian 14 yard line, as Watson went outside for the first time in the second half and carried a defender in the end zone with him for the TD.

FAMU DRS head coach Ira Reynolds, his staff and team celebrated the state title, which was the first for the Baby Rattler program since the late 1970s, when they won three straight crowns under the late coaching legend Johnnie Williams, between 1976 and 1978.